From the musical “The Little Cherub”, 1906
words and music by Marie Doro
The sheet music:
Accompaniment by Thomas Venam:
Lyrics
- Fay, she got ambitious
And she thought she was too pretty
To while away her time
In any place except the city
Larry was a country lad
Who spent his time in glancing
At the beauty of this lassie
Who was always so entrancing
But when the day came ’round at last
And he said “Let us marry”
Her nose went up an inch or two
And she said, “I’ll not tarry
‘Round a lad as jay as you
And so I’m going away from you
And meet a couple of Dukes or so
And maybe the King and Queen I’ll know”
But Larry pleaded hard
As this little minx went on her way
And soft, and low, he called
Refrain
“Say! Fay! please don’t go away
Can’t you see how lonely I will be?
‘Pon my word, I know it sounds absurd
But I will feel so bad I cannot see
Say! Fay! if your answer’s nay
Can’t you give me just a little hope?
Say! Fay! surely just a ray
No? well perhaps another day, Fay
- Fay, she thought that she could shine
Because she was so pretty
Foolish maiden never stopped
To think she wasn’t witty
She could only grin, and when
They asked her things she’d shiver
For the only kind of bridge she knew
Was one that spans a river
With regret, one day
She came back to her country home
Her nose was down to where it was
Before she went to roam
She was glad to be, at last
With folks that didn’t live so fast
Ans soon she found her Larry dear
And purred these words into his ear
“I would like to say
That my answer now to you is yea”
But soft, and low, he said
Refrain
“Say! Fay! since you’ve been away
Things have changed and with a little pluck
‘Pon my word, I know it sounds absurd
But I got rich and, oh, had lots of luck
Say! Fay! on one summer’s day
Lady Clara Vere-de-Vere came here
Say! Fay! I married her next day
So, I must say to you good-day, Fay”
Sung here by Laurence Rubenstein: